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" It is one hell of a solid little
rodent "

Title: I Feel Mouse by Logitech

Format: Optical USB Mouse for the PC

Reviewing Monkey: Dungapult

The Hype: For the last several years’ optical mice have been all the rage. They’re more accurate, don’t need to be cleaned, have higher resolutions, and all around look spiffier. Logitech launches into the affordable optical mice fray with the I Feel- a mouse that is not only fully optically enhanced but also features a very limited windows force feedback.

What This Monkey Thought...

Ergonomics: In this business, sometimes less is more. Then again, sometimes more is more. But, of course, sometimes less is less, more is more, and medium is medium. Often, in that situation, less is less than more which is more than medium which is more than less but less than more. My point? Well, really, I don’t have one except to say that the ergonomics of this mouse are decidedly average (plus I made you read some really odd double talk, which makes me laugh). The two buttons and scroll wheel are placed right at the tip of just about anyone’s fingers while the bulb of the mouse tucks comfortably into your palm. It makes no attempts to create some kind of artificial ergonomic but manages to keep the standard mouse shape decidedly comfortable. 4 out of 5

Features: Two buttons and a clickable scroll again rank this with just about every other mouse out there. The two big things that separate it, especially from mice in its low price range (30 bucks) are the inclusion of an optical sensor (without which an optical mouse would be kinda pointless) and the "I Feel technology," a sort of limited force feedback that pings and clicks in response to desktop topography (the edges of open windows, program icons, etc.) as you scroll around in the windows desktop (it does not work in games or the like). You can also shine the optical laser into people’s eyes, blinding them temporarily, so you can take their money and kick them into a nearby pile of poop. A feature in and of itself. 4 out of 5

Performance: All in all, I have almost entirely good things to say. But, as only saying good things can make dull reviews I’ll start with the bad. First off is the "I-Feel" technology. It, in a word, is pointless. When I first installed the mouse and it started clicking and popping I actually thought it had some kind of broken track ball inside it- so light is the effect and so undistinguished is the actual feedback. You can adjust it some, but honestly, how useful is it to "feel" the edge of an open desktop window? Are you going to start navigating Windows with your eyes closed? I think not. Well, maybe if you’re blind. But, hint, if you’re blind- you’re probably not using a traditional mouse anyway. Maybe if they actually would have made it program supported so I could use it in a FPS it would have been cool, but as it stands everyone here in the office that tried it almost immediately turned it off. So, with that in mind, I would much rather have had them leave it out and shave another ten bucks off the price than give me a worthless feature. The other negative, which is much, much more important, is the load time lag the mouse experiences while running programs. Even on a K6-2 533 with 128m RAM almost every time I start a program, or have Windows 98 run high-end multi-tasking, the damned thing lags to a stop. Probably not a huge deal for most people, but if you’re like me and like to push this damned OS to give me all it can I don’t need a mouse that’s going to hold me back by freezing up when I need it most.
Still, despite these two issues, it is one hell of a solid little rodent. The increased resolution of the optical sensor is wonderful and sees some great use in both gaming and desktop publishing. The rat, er…mouse, is flat out compatible in Windows so your not stuck choosing between full functionality and a spiffy controller. And, a feature that I thought was keen, it powers down every time its not in use- thus saving your computer USB resource taxing, but powers back up as soon as touched without any kind of lag in response. This is a very keen indeed. 3.75 out of 5

Installation: Installation was a snap. Plugged it in, turned it on, and I was up and running. The software with it works well and you shouldn’t have many, if any, complaints at all about the drivers. Logitech loses a point, however, for having absolutely NO customer support for this product at time of press. The mouse has been on store shelves for months, but they still haven’t added any kind of tech support to their page and we couldn’t find a support number in the documentation. 4 out of 5

System Compatibility: We tried it on five different machines with no problems. It also works just fine even if you have other USB, PS/2, or serial mice installed. Nicely done. 5 out of 5

How it Compares: Well, there are truthfully two parts to that question. The first is, "is this mouse that I would choose if I could have any optical mouse?" And the answer is, no, probably not. It actually ranks really high up there, but several people have more solid, more richly featured mice on the market. However, the second question, "is there another mouse I’d rather buy for 30 bucks?" is answered with a resounding, "No Way!" For it’s price range, this mouse has just about everything. 4 out of 5

The Verdict:

If you’re looking for a budget mouse, look no further. Smart, sleek, and overall functional it’ll give you just about everything you want. This is the mouse for you if you’re looking to spend less than $40.

The Good: Great resolution, good feel, and all the functionality you expect in a mouse.

The Bad: : Lagging stutters during loads and multi-tasking and no tech support.

The Overall Ugly: : Probably the best mouse in the under $40 or $50 price range.

What it's Worth: If you’ve read the article, you know anything under $40 or so.